5 things you need to know in SA business today and the 5 new hotels around the world with the most incredible design

Business Insider SA

Sep 12, 2019, 06:38 AM

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1. Naspers' new international investment company Prosus
had a strong first day, with its share price trading at around 74.50
euro in Amsterdam, and R1 200 on the JSE by Wednesday afternoon. This is
considerably higher than the "reference price" of 58.70 euros (around
R950) which was fixed for the share on Tuesday. The company – which is invested
in more than 40 companies, including OLX and a number of food delivery
businesses – is estimated to have a market capitalisation of around R1.935trn
following the recapitalisation. Its 31% stake in the Chinese internet giant
Tencent is worth around R1.924trn.

2. South
Africa has concluded a new trade deal with the UK, which will kick in if
Britain leaves the European Union without an trade agreement. The deal
ensures that trade continues as normal with the UK regardless of whether the
country leaves the EU with a deal, without a deal or does not leave at all.

4. Distell is accusing AB InBev and SAB Miller of being in breach of their
merger conditions, back in 2016, and the Competition Tribunal will hear its
complaint in hearings from today. Distell accuses
the merged entity of removing competitors' advertising material from outlets.

5. The embattled pharmaceutical company Aspen increased its revenue
by 1% to R38.9bn, with normalised headline earnings per share down 7% in the
year to end-June. Its manufacturing revenue declined by 11% to R5.8 billion
after a major third-party customer losing a material tender in the prior year
and a strike at its South African factories.

The 5 new hotels around the world with the most incredible design

Reported by Taylor Borden

From jungle bungalows in Tulum to converted bridge houses in Amsterdam, the second annual Dezeen Awards are recognizing innovative interior design worldwide.

With over 4,500 project entries from 87 different countries, 75 leading figures in architecture and design are judging the projects to determine the best of the year. Judges are assessing each project based on 3 criteria: beauty, innovation, and benefit.

In July, a longlist featuring 259 projects was released. In the first week of September, a shortlist reduced to 53 projects was released. The winner will be announced in October.

Presented below, in order of price point, are the five hotels featured on this year's shortlist. Almost all fall under R3,000 per night.

1. (Do-C) Gotanda is a modern capsule hotel in Tokyo featuring minimal interiors and a rough, industrial look.

This capsule hotel, located in a Tokyo red-light district, was redesigned and completed by Jo Nagasaka/Schemata Architects in 2018. Previously, it was also a capsule hotel; the renovation solely provided fresh interiors.

The renovation was spearheaded by Shenzhen-based Studio10. The design was inspired by the works of M.C. Escher, a graphic artist known for his mind-bending artwork of impossible constructions.

The final design is meant to create a mysterious atmosphere and employ elements of optical illusion.

The 650 square foot rooms were completed in 2018. Each room relies on a pale pink and forest green monochromatic colour scheme, on top of the unexpected architecture, to transport guests to an alternate reality.